Sunday, November 16, 2008

TWO IMPORTANT CG MEETINGS THIS WEEK!

The Executive and Landmarks/Land Use Committees of Brooklyn CommunityBoard 6 are pleased to host A Forum with Amanda Burden, Chairperson ofthe City Planning Commission

An update by Commissioner Burden on the department's land useactivities related to the Gowanus Canal corridor. Developed fromJanuary through July 2007, the Department of City Planning created aland use framework for the Gowanus Canal corridor. The framework is aset of guiding principles relating to issues including use, density,bulk, and waterfront access, intended to provide standards forformulating and evaluating proposals for future land use changes. inMay 2008 the Department of City Planning shared its draft rezoningproposal for 25 blocks along the Gowanus Canal with Brooklyn CommunityBoard 6 and the community-at-

large. Commissioner Amanda Burden willmeet with the community to give an informational update on the statusof the department's land use activities and address any concerns. THETOLL BROS PROJECT IS BASED ON THIS REZONING PROPOSAL AND WILL SET APRECEDENT FOR IT – ANY CONCERNS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING TOLL BROTHERSPROPOSAL CAN BE ADDRESSED TO THE WHOLE FRAMEWORK.DATE: Monday, November 17, 2008TIME: 6:30 pmPLACE: P.S. 32 Auditorium317 Hoyt Street, (between Union/President Streets) Brooklyn, NY 11231

SECOND MEETING, WEDNESDAY:

Brooklyn Borough President’s Hearing on Toll Brothers Project

The Toll Brothers ULURP application to change Zoning to allow theirGowanus Canal project is now at the Borough President’s Office forreview (after passing CB6’s review). This is our chance for thecommunity to be heard again. John Hatheway and I will be making anupdated presentation making the case for an 8 story height limit. Thiswill bring the building height below the horizon from most CarrollGardens vantage points, and equally important allows enough sunlightinto the Canal Esplanade to make it a viable park. Our proposal has thesame floor area as Toll’s, same affordable housing amount, samepossibility for high end units, same economics for union labor. Itdiffers from Toll Bros in that it has very little impact to CarrollGarden’s skyline AND it provides much better sun to the canal park.PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT OUR PROPOSAL OR VOICE YOUR OWN CONCERNS.

CORD HISTORY:

With the "Protect Our Homes" petition, CORD was formed in May, 2007. This petition arose as an overwhelmingly negative response to the coming of the over-sized 360 Smith Street Development at the corner of Smith Street and Second Place (Aka Oliver House; aka 131 Second Place). This petition, which had well over three thousand signatures, led to a new zoning text amendment in summer of 2008.

To: Our Elected Officials, Community Leaders, The MTA:(MAY, 2007)

We the undersigned Carroll Gardens homeowners and residents, are appalled by the "as of right" ruling which allows owners and developers to erect buildings in our neighborhood with no regard to the impact they will present to our quality of life and the value of our homes........http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?crlgrdns